Learning and Teaching in the Information Age

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Learning and Teaching in the Information Age

• Learning with Technologies
• Dr Maree Gosper
• CPD/IHERD

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Learning with Technologies

• Technologies are the tools around us why not
  use them?
• Introducing new technologies leads to change
  learning, teaching and the curriculum
• Managing the changes

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1. Technology?

• Technology is anything that wasnt around when
  you were born
• (Alan Kay 1980)

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At MQ

• In 2006 the number of students enrolled at MQ was
  31,660
• 60 - 18,996 were under the age of 25
• (MQ Annual report, 2006)

• What implications does this have for the way we
  teach and the way students learn?

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Learning is

• a process of knowledge construction
• knowledge dependent
• highly tuned to the situation in which it takes
  place
• (Resnick 1989)

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Point 1

• Technologies are the tools around us..
• Skills and knowledge are not independent of the
  environment mental, physical and social in
  which they are used.
• We should therefore be using the tools of the
  21st Century when developing learning
  environments

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2. Learning with Technologies

• Common elements across disciplines encompass the
  processes of
• Accessing, exploring interacting
• Communicating, collaborating, creating
  contributing
• Reflecting, evaluating refining

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Communicating collaborating

• The environment of higher education is changing.
  
• There is an increasing need for distance
  education, with pressure
• coming not only from nontraditional students
  but also are seeking flexible options
• The shape of the average student is changing,
  too more students are working and commuting than
  ever before, and the residential, full-time
  student is not necessarily the model for todays
  typical student.
• (Horizon Report 2007)
• What does this mean for the way we communicate
  and collaborate

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Communicating collaborating
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Creating contributing
Giving a presentation
Sitting for an exam
Writing an essay
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Creating contributing
Developing a group resource on a wiki.
Producing a podcast

• Second Life Melany Toombs Year 6.
• The virtual doorways project was done as a
  reflection for a unit on sustainability and
  global warming.

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Reflecting, evaluating, refining

• Task / lecturer feedback
• Tutorials
• Online discussion forums

• Blogs

http//elgg.cfl.mq.edu.au/mgosper/weblog/
ePortfolios
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Accessing, exploring interacting

• Just introducing new technologies is not enough

• Lectures / Tutorials
• Practicals /Field trips
• Readings -
• Simulations
• Role plays
• Problems -gt PBL

iLecture Research
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Point 2

• The introduction of new tools will impact
• the way we teach
• the way students learn
• the way we assess
• This has implications for the way we structure
  the whole curriculum.
• We need to rethink the alignment of aims outcomes
  activities and assessment tasks

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3. Managing the changes

• Technology should not get in the way of students
  learning

• Learning is an effortful process

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Will they use it?

• The 4 Es - Collis and Moonen (2001)
• Ease of use
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Environmental readiness

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A balancing act
The Curriculum
The ICTs
The Organisational Environment
The CICTO Framework JS Flagship Project (M
Gosper, K Woo, H Muir, C Dudley, K Nakazawa. AJET
23, 2.
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eBenchmarking - quality enhancement

• A statement of context
• Vision , why, for what purpose
• Infrastructure
• Expectations around Univ LMS, external hosting,
  use of tech not supported by central services
• Academic practice
• Workload, responsibilities expectations, policy
  implications
• Professional development and training
• Pedagogical, technical, organisational
• Student induction and development
• Expectations and responsibilities, pre-enrolment
  information
• Quality Assurance and enhancement
• Curriculum pedagogy, technical compliance,
  risk management

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Point 3

• In managing the change we need to consider and
  act upon three interrelated elements
• The curriculum
• The technology
• The organisational environment

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Thank you
The Machine is Us/ing Us http//www.youtube.com/w
atch?v6gmP4nk0EOEeurl